How long does an EPC last, and when do you need a new one?

In England and Wales, an EPC is not simply a certificate that “lasts 10 years”: it is valid only while it is under 10 years old and no newer EPC has been lodged for the same property. The practical landlord question is usually not “how old is it?” but “will this be the valid EPC when I market, let, renew, or replace it?”

How long does an EPC last?

In England and Wales, an EPC lasts until the earlier of 10 years from registration or the moment a newer EPC for the same building is entered on the register. Regulation 9(2) says an EPC is valid only if “it was entered on the register no more than 10 years before the date on which it is made available” and if “no other energy performance certificate for the building has since been entered on the register.” GOV.UK’s shorthand that an EPC “is valid for 10 years” is therefore incomplete: a replacement EPC makes the old certificate invalid immediately, even if the old one still has years left. A landlord asking how often an EPC should be updated for a rental property should treat 10 years as the maximum, not a guaranteed lifespan. Abodient fits this use case as a compliance-diary tool: it can hold the EPC certificate against the property, record its expiry, and show what is overdue across the portfolio. In Scotland, the answer changes from 31 October 2026: a new Scottish EPC ceases to be valid after 5 years or when replaced.

What happens when an EPC expires during a tenancy?

When an EPC expires during an existing tenancy in England and Wales, no rule in the EPC regulations requires the landlord to renew it merely because time has passed, and the common “expired F or G equals an automatic MEES breach” line is not what the regulation says. The EPC duty is triggered where “a building is to be sold or rented out” and no valid EPC is available, not by an EPC expiring mid-tenancy. MEES is also more exact than most landlord blogs admit: a property is “sub-standard” where “the valid energy performance certificate expresses” a rating below the minimum level, so an expired EPC is not itself a valid EPC expressing an F or G for that test. The NRLA states the working market position bluntly: “If the EPC expires during a tenancy, you do not need to get a new EPC until the tenancy ends.” That does not make an expired certificate useful for the next letting; it means the renewal trigger usually comes when the tenancy ends, the property is marketed, or a new tenancy is granted.

Do you need a new EPC for a new tenant?

You do not need a brand-new EPC for a new tenant in England and Wales if the existing EPC is still valid; you do need to give the valid EPC to the tenant free of charge. Regulation 6(5) says the relevant person must ensure that “a valid energy performance certificate has been given free of charge to the person who ultimately becomes the buyer or tenant,” so a 6-year-old EPC can be used again if no newer EPC has superseded it. A new tenancy or renewal is also the moment MEES bites in practice, because the MEES rules define “let the property” to include granting a new tenancy or letting “as a result of an extension or renewal of an existing tenancy.” The penalty for failing EPC duties on a dwelling is a fixed £200, not the £5,000 figure often repeated from non-domestic rules: regulation 38 states that “where the building is a dwelling, £200.” The old section 21 consequence for failing to provide an EPC was revoked for private assured tenancies on 1 May 2026, so the £200 penalty is now the cleaner practical correction.

Can you get an EPC redone before it expires?

Yes, you can get an EPC redone before it expires in England and Wales, but lodging the new EPC kills the old one immediately and can forfeit useful MEES-2030 grandfathering. The validity rule is one-way: an EPC is valid only if it is under 10 years old and “no other energy performance certificate for the building has since been entered on the register.” There is no minimum interval between EPCs in the 2012 regulations, so a landlord can commission a replacement early; the risk is that the replacement becomes the only valid EPC, even if it gives a worse rating. That matters more under the 2030 private rented sector upgrade timetable: the government response says private rented homes scoring C or higher before 1 October 2029 will be treated as compliant “until this EPC expires or is replaced.” Redoing a C-rated EPC early can therefore throw away a compliance lock-in that would otherwise have lasted until that certificate’s expiry.

Can a wrong EPC be amended or removed from the register?

A wrong EPC in England and Wales cannot simply be edited on the register by the owner: the registered entry “shall not be altered once registered,” and the normal cure is scheme-led investigation, annotation, hiding, or a replacement EPC. Government guidance says that once EPCs have been registered “they cannot be altered,” although disputed EPCs may be annotated “to show that they are under investigation.” For dwellings, the guidance says that where the information is found to be incorrect “a new EPC must be issued and the information on the register amended” at no cost to the complainant. Accreditation-scheme practice is more revealing than the public wording: BRE says reports are “never permanently removed from the register” and that an erroneous EPC is instead “‘hidden’ and is no longer publicly available.” A wrong EPC therefore does not become legally invalid just because it is wrong; unless and until a newer EPC is lodged or the scheme process replaces or hides it, the register position remains the thing landlords and tenants will see.

Last reviewed August 2026.

Sources

• In England and Wales, an EPC lasts until the earlier of 10 years from registration or the moment a newer EPC for the same building is entered on the register. — “An energy performance certificate is only valid for the purposes of this Part if—(a) it was entered on the register no more than 10 years before the date on which it is made available; and (b) no other energy performance certificate for the building has since been entered on the register.” Source
• GOV.UK’s shorthand that an EPC “is valid for 10 years” is incomplete because it omits the newer-certificate limb. — “An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) and is valid for 10 years.” Source
• In Scotland, from 31 October 2026, an EPC ceases to be valid after 5 years or when replaced. — “An energy performance certificate and its related property report for a building or building unit cease to be valid on the earlier of— (a) the expiry of a period of 5 years from the date on which the energy performance certificate was issued, (b) the date on which another energy performance certificate for the building or building unit is subsequently issued.” Source
• No rule in the EPC regulations requires renewal merely because an EPC expires mid-tenancy; the duty is triggered where a building is to be sold or rented out and no valid EPC is available. — “Subject to regulation 8, this regulation applies where— (a) a building is to be sold or rented out; and (b) no valid energy performance certificate is available for that building.” Source
• MEES sub-standard status is defined by reference to a valid EPC expressing a rating below the minimum level. — “a domestic PR property, or a non-domestic PR property, is 'sub-standard' where the valid energy performance certificate expresses the energy performance indicator of the property as being below the minimum level of energy efficiency” Source
• The NRLA states that if the EPC expires during a tenancy, a landlord does not need a new EPC until the tenancy ends. — “If the EPC expires during a tenancy, you do not need to get a new EPC until the tenancy ends.” Source
• A valid EPC must be given free of charge to the person who becomes the tenant. — “The relevant person must ensure that a valid energy performance certificate has been given free of charge to the person who ultimately becomes the buyer or tenant.” Source
• Granting, extending, or renewing a tenancy is a MEES letting trigger. — “'let the property' means— (a) on or after 1st April 2018, grant a new tenancy which falls within section 42(1)(a) of the Act, or let the property on such a tenancy as a result of an extension or renewal of an existing tenancy, or (b) on after 1st April 2020, continue to let the property on such a tenancy.” Source
• The penalty for EPC duty breach on a dwelling is £200. — “in relation to a breach of a duty under regulation 6(2), 6(5), 7(2), 7(3), 7(4), 7(5), 7A(2), or 7A(3)— (i) where the building is a dwelling, £200;” Source
• The section 21 consequence for EPC failure was revoked for private assured tenancies on 1 May 2026. — “Regulations revoked only in relation to private assured tenancies (1.5.2026) by The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments) and Tenancies (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/325), regs. 1(1), 10” Source
• Private rented homes scoring C or higher before 1 October 2029 are compliant with the higher standard until that EPC expires or is replaced. — “Private rented homes that score a C or higher against the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) displayed on existing or new EPCs before 1 October 2029 will be considered compliant with the higher standard until this EPC expires or is replaced.” Source
• A registered EPC entry shall not be altered once registered. — “shall not be altered once registered.” Source
• Disputed EPCs may be annotated on the register to show that they are under investigation. — “Once EPCs have been registered they cannot be altered. However, EPCs that are in dispute may be annotated on the register to show that they are under investigation.” Source
• Where EPC information is found to be incorrect, a new EPC must be issued and the register information amended at no cost to the complainant. — “Where it is found that the information is incorrect a new EPC must be issued and the information on the register amended. This procedure should be followed at no cost to the complainant.” Source
• BRE says reports are never permanently removed from the register; the erroneous EPC is hidden and no longer publicly available. — “Reports are never permanently removed from the register, the erroneous EPC is 'hidden' and is no longer publicly available.” Source